Some of you may know it already – the english version is now available on the internet (just click on the picture below to watch it)

The russian original is a four part documentary with much more footage (though without translation) and can be found here:

Spring:         http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Eh05uk7xUI
Summer:     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqektlVMXts
Fall:               http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiffAAUhw7Q
Winter:        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uev2ueBdWes

Speaking of documentaries of “modern” examples of traditional lifestyles, there is a documentary called “Cree Hunters of Mistassini” that shows several Cree families back in the 70’s that moved into the bush for their winter hunting and trapping. Highly recommended.

There are, of course, a number of other documentaries about that subject (though many of them are not available for free on the internet like the two mentioned above).

“Year of the Caribou” is another one I can definitely recommend. It shows a family who moved into a remote part of interior Alaska to live off the land (the DVD is available for sale online).

http://teachingdrum.org/intothewoods/

which will be updated sporadically with writings, pictures or sound recordings thanks to some people who will transcribe and post the material for us primitives.

The lakes around here still have a layer of ice, soon they will look like this…

It´s been great sharing here, and I´ll probably continue doing so once I get back from the immersion in the fall.

Enjoy the spring/summer!

Thomas

this is my first post here. Torjus and I have known each other for a number of years, and I recently asked him what he thought about me contributing to his blog…so this is why you see me writing here.  We both share a passion for a living simply, primitively, without many of the accouterments of modern society. (Yes I know we both use the internet ).

Torjus´ website is of high quality in my opinion, and I´m honored to be a contributer here.

A little bit about myself:

My name is Thomas. I grew up in Germany and have been living in various places (wild and not so wild) and communities in Europe and the US for the past ten years or so.  A few years ago, I did the Wilderness Guide Program at the Teaching Drum Outdoor School in Wisconsin, USA which was both shattering some illusions I had about “living primitively” while at the same time feeding my passion to continue pursuing such a lifestyle. Since then I´ve met and lived with a number of people who share similar interests, Torjus being one of them. Even though we currently live in different places – right now I reside in the Northwoods of Wisconsin – I really appreciate how we can learn from and inspire each other, exchanging our growing knowledge skills and craft projects. In our fast-paced, technological world, we seem to loose more and more connection with the natural world that sustains us, and the skills to live in a balanced relationship with it.

This is where my reason for writing comes in: I´d like to keep those skills alive, by practising, living them, and continue to learn by sharing with others who have a similar desire.

My posts will probably be pretty irregular as I frequently find myself spending time in the woods and like to be immersed without modern technology during those periods.

Looking forward to the sharing here,

Thomas

The updated course list for 2010 is to be found here. My skills are continously improving through daily use and experimentation, I have by now a fair idea of a lot of things that works and a lot of things that don’t. By joining a course you will be able to learn the basics far quicker than you would on your own.

I am in the city right now and are now trying to arrange so I can post when out and about again. More about that later.

PS! I read all comments, but I usually just reply to mails. My mail adress is torjusg@gmail.com.

A list of some of what was covered last year:

• Bowdrill fire with natural cordage
• Trout fishing with bare hands
• Skinning and butchering, small game and moose
• Fish spears and spearing
• Making nets
• Moose ear pouches
• Basic flintknapping
• Shelter
• Skin boat (coracle)
• Seine netting

I can not guarantee that the exact same subjects will be taught this year. BUT I would go as far as saying that I guarantee that we catch trout and if it turns out like last year, we’ll catch loads of them! I think we caught about 500 brown trout then.

Photos by a participant last year can be found here.

If you think this sounds exciting, feel free to contact Patrick through this link.

PS! I’ll try to do a proper update in a few days.

About once a week I’ll try to post an update on how things are and my progress.

Things I’ll do:

• Get food through: Hunting, fishing, gathering, gardening, forest gardening (a hybrid approach between gathering and gardening) and scavenging stuff from hunters.
• Make everything I need in my daily life. No exceptions, I’ll continue to use some of the stuff I already have, like fishing nets and clothes, but it will all be phased out as I manage to replace it with primitive gear.
• Live in primitive accomodations for most of the year (when I’m not visiting somone).
• Take photos and update the blog occasionally.

Things I’ll not do:

• Raise livestock. They need regular tending and I value freedom of movement and action.
• Try to make things as hardcore as possible. I’m not interested in a life of perpetual suffering, so I’ll try as hard as I can to find the solutions that makes a primitive life enjoyable (without resorting to modern tools).

PS! If you like what you are reading, please donate as I really need it.

• Finished planting all the corn in the garden. A lot of the corn, sunflower and the peas are now coming up. Planted some beans and squash.
• Unsuccessfully fired some pottery I made. The pottery was ok I think, but I was probably too impatient with the firing, raising the temperature too soon.
• Chopped down (sorry, metal axe for the sake of speed) a few more aspens, some are to serve as main beams for the earth lodge, the rest for firewood. A second reason I have for chopping down these trees is to give the garden more sun and to give light to a few bushes of hazel that aren’t producing anymore.
• Cut a fairly large number of spruce poles for the lodge and collected the bark for thatching.
• Thinned out a suitable patch of forest by cutting most of the birch there. The logs I’ll use for various projects and firewood.
• Planted 2 seeds of American Chestnut, most graciously given to me by Scott on Paleoplanet.
• Have done some fishing, mostly with a rod, caught a number of fish.
• Managed to overbuck a skin (first one, not fun). May still be usable for a few things I hope.
• Made a pair of rawhide moose skin shoes (pampooties).

Pics:

Corn and sunflower coming up (quite a while ago).

View from the garden.

The garden.

Skinning the spruce poles for the earth lodge.

The spruce bark laid in pressure.

The crude shoes I made (please ignore the ripped pants…).

Various scenery pics.

Details about the school:

• It’s a large farm/ranch owned by a foundation. They have sheep, cattle, swine etc… And quite extensive vegetable gardens. All ecological and run on biodynamical principles.
• The school is a Rudolf Steiner School.
• The location is quite remote and located in the sparcely populated muncipality of Fyresdal. Remember, you can walk around wherever you want in Norway. Trespassing isn’t an issue. That gives you plenty of opportunity for outdoors life.
• There are two directions you can take to achieve a proffession at this school: ecological agriculture (+ forestry, crafts etc.) and ecological construction.
• As a student at this school you are allowed to hunt, trap and fish for free on several thousand acres of land. In regards to hunting and trapping you still need to pass the government issued test before you qualify.
• You have the opportunity to live in a dorm at the school. The food produced at the farm is by large consumed by the students.

From this autumn I’ll be teaching outdoors life (3 seperate weeks of fieldtrips around in the terrain. ) which I’m allowed to impart my own angle on (will of course include primitive skills) and some crafts.

If you are interested in more information, I’d advice that you drop them a mail.

Various photos of the school:

The sheep at the school are of the Norwegian stone age type (though not totally pure).

The mountains behind the farm makes for quite good scenery.

This is the main area of the school. Not all of the buildings are so easy to see from this point of view.

Photo of various working buildings. There are is a building dedicated to wood working a smithy etc…

Some rather small examples of buildings built with sustainable methods. The one to the left is a traditional timber cabin, the one to the right is a hay bale house.

A closer look at one of the vegetable gardens and a part of the orchard.

The second vegetable garden, with the barn at left and you can probably see some cows and a greenhouse on the photo too.

Some of the students (They aren’t all males, though it appears to be from this photo) .

The course is a fishing course/skills course. We’ll fish every day and that will be a major passtime. There is A LOT of fish in the area, so I guarantee that everyone will catch fish, provided any effort put into it. Most of the fishing will be modern angling, but we’ll also use nets and simple baited hook and line.

The various skills you’ll learn you can see in the preliminary course plan below (will probably change during the course). You will not learn how to use an axe or a knife, it’s required that you do. We’ll sleep under the open sky, though I’ll have the lavvo up in case of bad weather, so we can still do stuff.

I hope you like fish, because that will encompasse most of the free food on this course, but you’ll all get a taste of some kind of game as well. Keep in mind that I don’t provide the bulk food for you. I recommend rations. This course is not very physically demanding.

The costs does not include food or travelling, which will both have to be arranged on your own. There are cheap flights from various places in Europe going to Torp Airport. From there you can take bus totalling to a cost between 2-300 NOK. I’ll check the price and edit in the exact costs. You need to have an insurance that covers the kind of activities we’ll do.

Day 1

Accomodation.

Safety.

Basics of fire.

Tips and demonstration on fishing trout.

Day 2

Setting fishing lines.

Fire by friction (handdrill).

Setting fishing net.

Day 3

Taking up net.

Very basic stone tools.

Antler/bone knife. (Stone tools only project)

Setting fishing net.

Day 4

Taking up net.

Continue on the antler/bone knife. (Stone tools only project)

Cordage.

Day 5

Bark container.

Setting nets.

Day 6

Taking up nets.

Wild edibles gathering.

Preparing animals.

Cooking a wild food meal.

Day 7

Daytrip to one of the better fishing lakes.

A sheath for the antler/bone knife.

Everybody takes a bath in the lake to clean up after the trip.

Day 8

You take the bus early in the morning.

Recommended kit list:

Raingear.

Mountain boots.

Knife.

Axe (if you want to).

Shorts (recommended in case of hot weather).

Good pair of breathing trousers.

Good windproof jacket.

Woolen sweater.

Good summer sleeping bag.

Hammock or underblanket.

Tarp to keep the rain out of you and your gear.

Moskito repellents (I don’t use it, but you may prefer to).

Several pairs of socks and underwear.

Fishing rod with line.

Fishing lures.

Dates:

1. – 7. July (1st and 8th travelling days)

10. – 16. July (10th and 17th travelling days) (Cancelled)

Course price per person: €450

Application for the course is done by replying to this thread. I’ll then contact you and provide the method of payment.